OVERVIEW

I have always enjoyed books and reading. I never understood why some of my friends found it so difficult to learn to read. Later, while I was teaching elementary school, I found that the reading system presented in the regular textbook was not working for some of my students. They didn’t learn the concepts involved in decoding words. Later, in an attempt to help a woman who had never been able to learn to read throughout her entire school career, I became

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In elementary school, I already had plans to become an elementary school teacher. When I discovered one of my new friends was having problems learning to read, I appointed myself his official after school tutor. As I assisted him, I began my education as a teacher.

In 1975, I graduated from Virginia Wesleyan College, Norfolk, Virginia, with a B.A. degree, and certification to teach preschool through grade seven.

RESEARCH

Research shows that a student who has reading problems has difficulty utilizing the decoding area of the brain. Because the student has problems manipulating the sounds of a word within the decoding area, the word is unable to be processed into the automatic recognition area of the brain. Thus, the student is unable to use the retrieval and comprehension features within that area. (Shaywitz, 2003).

TO THE TEACHER

To the teacher:

I wrote this book to help students learn how to use their senses to "make sense of" reading, spelling, and writing American English words. It will accompany any text.

This efficient, systematic, multi-sensory decoding method allows the student to use her/his stronger sense(s), while he/she is learning, practicing, and developing her/his weaker sense(s). The method empowers the student, as he/she learns how to mark the letters in words, in order to make multi-sensory "sound sense." The student gains a strong knowledge base in phonics, and her/his confidence and enjoyment of the written word increase.